


A sign is what you make of it

by errantknightess



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 12:37:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14811515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/errantknightess/pseuds/errantknightess
Summary: Allen drummed his fingers on the table, peering into the white window.“There’s a lot of people you can ‘click’ with in your life. What makes this so special?”“Oh, come on.” Lenalee leaned over to him, arms crossed on the table. “How can you be so cynical? Haven’t you ever stared at your mark under the shower and just wondered?”The drumming stopped abruptly; Allen clenched his fist, nails scraping on the wood. He preferred not to talk about it, but Lenalee’s nonchalance touched a nerve and the bitter words slipped out before he could think better of it.“Not really. I don’t actually have one.”





	A sign is what you make of it

The windows in the cafe were covered in fog, but even wiping at them didn’t make much of a difference with the blizzard raging outside. Giving up, Allen turned away from the milky landscape and fiddled with his phone as it buzzed with a new message.

“Lavi says he’ll be late,” he announced, putting the device back on the sticky tabletop. “His bus didn’t come on time.”

“No wonder, in this weather.” Across the table, Lenalee slumped in her seat. “I really wish this winter would end already. It’s dark and cold, the traffic is a nightmare, and the heating costs go through the roof.”

“It’s the worst.” Allen nodded. “I wouldn’t mind skipping February altogether.”

“Honestly. Shame about my birthday, though. And about Valentine’s Day.” With a sigh, Lenalee poked at the slice of cheesecake in front of her. “It couldn’t have a worse timing. There’s nothing romantic in it! Imagine passing by your soulmate and missing it because you’re both bundled up in winter clothes.” She tugged at her turtleneck, scratching at the skin around her mark. Allen watched two tiny butterfly wings peek from under the collar, as if ready to flutter away.

“Wouldn’t it just mean you’re not really meant for each other?” He shrugged, taking a sip of his still-too-hot tea. “There should be something more to connect you than just a stain on your skin.”

“Of course there _is_!” Lenalee burst, her tone teetering between incredulous and offended. “The marks are just there to let you know.”

“But how can you _know_?” Allen shook his head, meeting her fervent stare with a stony face. “This whole thing sounds unreasonable. Are you really ready to spend your life with someone you’ve only just met, just because you match? How can you tell you’ll even like them?”

 “That’s the _point_ , dummy!” Lenalee brandished her fork at him before plunging it into her cheesecake again. “You _know_ because it’s your soulmate. There’s simply no way you won’t click.”

Allen drummed his fingers on the table, peering into the white window.

“There’s a lot of people you can ‘click’ with in your life. What makes _this_ so special?”

“Oh, come on.” Lenalee leaned over to him, arms crossed on the table. “How can you be so cynical? Haven’t you ever stared at your mark under the shower and just wondered?”

The drumming stopped abruptly; Allen clenched his fist, nails scraping on the wood. He preferred not to talk about it, but Lenalee’s nonchalance touched a nerve and the bitter words slipped out before he could think better of it.

“Not really. I don’t actually have one.”

“You—” Lenalee choked on her cake, looking over at him wide-eyed like a startled doe. “You can’t be serious!”

“I am.” With a sigh, Allen loosened his collar, allowing her a peek at the smooth pale skin underneath. He quickly closed the button again and turned back to the window, avoiding her gaze. He’d never really cared either way, but he didn’t feel comfortable with this agitated attention.

“How is that even possible?” Lenalee mused, worrying her lip between her teeth.

“I don’t know,” Allen muttered. “Maybe there’s just no one out there for me. I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Oh, shush! Don’t say such things.” She slapped him lightly on the arm, but her face remained serious, troubled. “I’m sure it’s nothing like that. But it _is_ unusual, I’ve never heard of anything like this. Maybe my brother will know, I could ask him—”

“Please, don’t.” Allen sent her a pained look. “I’m already a freak as it is, please don’t go around telling people about that.”

“About what?” Lavi’s voice, cheerful as always, cut through the din of the cafe like a ray of sunshine through the clouds. Allen felt his stomach do a painful backflip. At any other time, he’d be happy to see his best friend – but now it meant there was no escape from this conversation for him.

“Nothing,” he said quickly, watching Lavi brush the snow off his hair and leaning away as a few stray clumps ricocheted off the table. Lavi gave him a long, searching look, his eye glinting with amusement.

“Now, that sounds interesting.” He peeled off his jacket and gloves, leaving only the bright orange scarf draped around his shoulders. “Scoot over, Beansprout. I wanna hear all about it.”

“Stop calling me that,” Allen grumbled, but obliged. Lavi slipped into the booth next to him, cold radiating off his skin even through his shirt. Allen shivered as he leaned over his lap, wrapping his hands around his steaming tea cup.

“Aaah, that’s better.” Lavi stole a sip of the warm drink and handed the cup back to Allen with a wide grin. “So, what are we talking about?”

“Lavi, have you ever heard of anyone who was born without their soulmate mark?” Lenalee chimed in, picking at the skin on her neck again. Allen felt Lavi stiffen next to him, visibly taken aback at the question.

“Well, I don’t have any statistics for that, but I can tell you it does happen.” He leaned back, propping his arm on the backrest behind Allen as he went on. “Not that it matters that much, anyway. You know that those marks aren’t a guarantee, right? A study from 1991 found out that about seven percent of the entire world population will never find their soulmate due to external factors, though I imagine that number might have dropped now thanks to the internet. But even so, we still have people who do find their soulmates and don’t end up together, and—”

“God, why did I ask you.” Lenalee threw her head back in desperation. “You’re both horrible. I need another coffee, I can’t listen to your negativity.” With a heavy sigh, she took her purse and left the table before Lavi could speak another word.

“She takes this very seriously,” Allen noted with a pale smile as she disappeared around the corner.

“I can see that.” Lavi shook his head and pierced him with a curious gaze. “So, who’s the poor bloke without the mark?”

“Wh-What makes you think it’s someone we know?” Allen strategically took a gulp of his tea to hide his face.

“This sudden interest makes it kinda obvious.” Lavi shrugged. “My money’s on Kanda. The universe can’t be _that_ cruel.”

“No, I’ve seen his…” Allen trailed off, nervously running his finger around the rim of his cup. Lenalee’s reaction earlier had reassured him he had made a good decision hiding this issue from everyone – but he felt that Lavi, of all people, would understand. He always did.

“Actually… It’s me,” he admitted with a deep breath, never meeting Lavi’s watchful eye. “It’s funny, you know? I’ve never thought much about it, but now I’m starting to wonder what I’m missing out on.”

“You’re not missing anything.” Lavi moved his arm from the backrest, wrapping it tight around Allen’s shoulders. “Don’t let people make you think it’s the end of the world. Remember what I said? This stuff isn’t written in stone. The people you meet in your life would still mean the same to you no matter what mark they have, right? If you really think about it, you realize it’s not that big of a deal.”

Allen leaned into his embrace, nodding along to those words of reason. He liked that about Lavi – his warm, comforting presence and how much at ease he always made him feel. Whoever matched with him would be really lucky, he thought with a pang in his heart.

“Don’t tell Lenalee that,” he snorted.

“Too late.” Lavi swayed into him playfully, resting his head against Allen’s temple. “But I can tell _you_ , it doesn’t mean shit. And not everyone cares that much about it, either. You can still date and all, marks or not.”

“That’s rich coming from you.” Allen poked him in the side, his sour mood lifting a little. “I’ve never seen you dating. Are you one of those people who wait for their soulmate to come around?”

“Me? Hell no. I don’t need any of that to know who’s right for me.” Lavi’s smile brushed over his hair. His hand went up to pull his scarf away, and Allen’s breath hitched in his throat.

“No way…” he whispered, fingertips skimming over the redhead's skin, spotless save for a few golden freckles.

“See? You’re not alone.” Lavi cupped his fingers around Allen’s, squeezing tightly. “And you don’t have to be. Just because you don’t have some stupid skin patch doesn’t mean no one can love you. Trust me, I know.”

“Thank you, Lavi.” Allen said quietly, his eyes fogging up with tears. He knew Lavi would understand, but he never dreamed _this_ would be the reason why. “You’re right, we can’t let something like that decide for us. And if you’re the same… At least I know there’s nothing wrong with me.”

Lavi smiled at him, eye sparkling.

“There was never anything wrong with you.” He pulled their laced hands to his lips, planting a sloppy kiss on Allen’s knuckles. “You know, now I have to wonder… Can a lack of a mark be a mark of its own?”

Allen blinked, puzzled.

“What do you mean?”

Lavi’s face burned like a stoplight. “I’ve never said anything cause I didn’t think it’d be possible, but now that I know you don’t have it too… I mean…Technically, we match.”

“Technically…” Allen felt his hand tremble in Lavi’s grip. He squeezed harder, his thumb tracing nervous patterns on the freckled skin. Now that it hit him, it felt so _right_ he didn’t know how he never realized it sooner. “So, does that mean…?”

“It can mean whatever you want it to mean,” Lavi said hoarsely. He bit at his lip, digging into it with his teeth – and just then Allen leaned in and gently captured it with his own.

Their kiss was soft and sweet, lingering until Allen’s swelling heart felt ready to burst. Even as he pulled away, he stayed close, eyes closed, skin brushing against skin. Lavi’s breath swept over his face in a warm puff, a barely stifled laugh, a sigh of relief. Allen breathed it in slowly, his throat tingling with thrill.

Even if this was not how it was meant to be, they could make their _own_ destiny.


End file.
